A cowpoke and his faithful mustang enter a grueling, 10-centuries-old horse race across 3,000 miles of Arabian desert in 1890 in the sometimes exciting, sometimes dawdling, sometimes muddled Hidalgo.
It's a fish out of water tale -- the Old West Meets the Older Middle East -- that couples the cowboy with Arabian sheiks in flowing robes, tents, camels and even Omar Sharif.
Oddly, however, considering that the horse race is the central part of the movie's plot, we're seldom given any sense of the thrill of a race.
For long stretches, cowboy Frank T. Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen), an adventure seeker who is trying to erase painful memories of the past, is alone in the desert with his spotted horse, Hidalgo, "a horse of a most unusual color," as one of the locals puts it. Sometimes Frank and Hidalgo meander along with no sense of urgency. Sure, it's a long race over many days, but the only time we get a feel for the contest is at its very start and at the finish line.
Occasionally Frank and Hidalgo mosey into the camp of the race followers who, most strangely, have arrived at various desert oases ahead of the riders. Remember, this is supposed to be a torturous race in which many riders and horses will die. And yet, despite all the hardships faced by the contestants, the cheering section arrives at outpost way stations way before they do. How did they do it? By rail perhaps? The first time this occurred, I thought maybe Frank and Hidalgo had backtracked, returning to the starting point. But no, everyone is indeed on their way to the finish line, though en route they pause for long-winded, tiresome conversations.
To spice things up, sometimes Frank and Hidalgo are set upon by menacing thugs who want the hometown Arabian thoroughbred -- Al-Hattal -- to take the $10,000 winner's prize. It turns out to be more than hometown fervor spurring them on, however. The thugs are employed by a sinister pair who covet the Arabian for themselves and are in league to prevent Hidalgo from crossing the finish line first. If Al-Hattal wins, not only will a glowering desert prince get the horse, he'll also get to take the pretty Jazira (Zuleikha Robinson) as his fifth wife. Jazira, daughter of Sharif's sheik, cannot stomach that thought.
Director Joe Johnston (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids; Jurassic Park III) has filled Hidalgo with exciting flashpoints -- a tidal wave of sand rising suddenly to smother horses and riders, the bold rescue of a kidnapped sheik's daughter, gunfights, menacing leopards, a pool of quicksand, a sand-covered pit filled with pointy spikes, even a sky filled with swarming locusts, plus (!) Buffalo Bill's wild west show, complete with sharpshooter Annie Oakley. These are colorful asides to the tale, which is based on the real-life adventures of Hopkins. But they seem loosely cobbled on, never quite cementing the story together.
You couldn't find a more dashing cinematic hero than Mortensen, though. The star of The Lord of the Rings trilogy has the good looks of a matinee idol and yet the depth to underscore the troubled thoughts of this complicated man. Hopkins loses his faith in his fellow countrymen at the film's start when he comes upon the bloody aftermath of the 7th Cavalry massacre at Wounded Knee Creek in the Dakotas, a massacre that tragically escalates from a misunderstanding. It's a sobering moment in a film that is otherwise an old-fashioned Arabian Nights adventure. It's the dark cloud hovering over Hopkins throughout the rest of Hidalgo, fueling his nightmares and pressing him to engage in dangerous exploits in the name of good.
Coming off best in all of this is T.J., the horse who plays Hidalgo, perhaps the most expressive movie equine since Trigger. (Four other horses were used for various stunts as well.) Wide-eyed, T.J. looks over his shoulder to register surprise, disdain or bemusement. He needs no dialogue to make his mark and he created such a believable bond with Mortensen that the actor bought him after filming was completed in Morocco.
***
Hidalgo
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Zuleikah Robinson, Omar Sharif, T.J., Louise Lombard, Adam Alexi-Malle, Said Taghmaoui.
Rated: PG-13, contains violence.
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